Joe Gilmore

Joe Gilmore (19 May 1922 – 18 December 2015) was one of the longest running Head Barmen at The Savoy Hotel's American Bar. Joe Gilmore started as a trainee barman at The American Bar in 1940 and was appointed Head Barman in 1955, a position he held until he retired in 1976. Over his years as Head Barman, Joe Gilmore invented numerous cocktails to mark special events and important guests, a longstanding tradition at the American Bar. Joe Gilmore has invented cocktails in honor of a number of royalty, politicians and celebrities including The Prince of Wales, Prince William, The Princess Anne, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, The Prince Andrew, Sir Winston Churchill, and American Presidents Harry S. Truman and Richard Nixon. He also invented cocktails to commemorate the first walk on the moon in 1969 by Neil Armstrong, and the American and Russian link-up in space in 1975. He was born in Belfast.

In addition to serving five generations of royals at private receptions and parties, Joe Gilmore has also served Errol Flynn, Laurel and Hardy, Charlie Chaplin, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Grace Kelly, George Bernard Shaw, Ernest Hemingway, Noël Coward, Agatha Christie, Alice Faye, Ingrid Bergman, Julie Andrews, Laurence Olivier Joan Crawford, Judy Garland, Liza Minnelli, Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra.

Reekado Banks

Ayoleyi Hanniel Solomon (born 6 December 1993), better known by his stage name Reekado Banks, is a Nigerian recording artist, rapper and songwriter, signed to Mavin Records. He went by the stage name Spicy prior to his record deal with the aforementioned label. He was declared the Rookie of the Year at The Headies 2014, and won the controversial Next Rated award at The Headies 2015.

Life and career

Reekado Banks is the last child of a music-loving family. His father is a pastor and his mother is a caterer. Moreover, his elder brother is a producer and his elder sister is a gospel singer. He grew up in a disciplinarian setting due to both of his parents being pastors. He completed his secondary school at the age of 14, and started recording his first set of songs in 2008. His elder brother produced all of his earlier songs and tutored him on the rudiments of singing, writing and producing. He derived the stage name Reekado Banks by combining the meanings of the two names; the former part of his stage name translates to "strong ruler", while the latter part loosely translates to "wealth". In 2014, Reekado Banks graduated from the University of Lagos with a degree in History and Strategic Study. He has cited Don Jazzy, 2face Idibia, DJ Jimmy Jatt, Olamide and M.I as his key musical inspirations.